41 killed after bus veers off road in southwest Kenya

[News_Editor]

NAROK, KENYA (BNO NEWS) -- Forty-one people were killed Thursday and dozens more were injured when a crowded passenger bus veered off a dark road and plunged into a valley west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, emergency officials said, making it the country's worst road accident so far this year.

The accident happened at around 2:20 a.m. local time when the driver of the "City to City" bus lost control of the vehicle, causing it to careen off the road and roll into a valley at Ntulele near the town of Narok, located in the southwestern district that carries the same name and about 105 kilometers (65 miles) west of Nairobi.

Peter Outa, a spokesman for the Kenyan Red Cross, said 41 people were killed while 39 others were transported for treatment to Narok District Hospital, AIC Kijabe Hospital, and Kenyatta National Hospital. Information about the conditions of those injured was not immediately available.

"Kenya Red Cross dispatched three Advanced Cardiac Life Support Ambulances to evacuate the critical patients from Narok to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialized treatment," Outa said. It was unclear if the bus driver was among those killed or injured, or whether the driver escaped without injuries.

"Our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the bereaved. We wish the injured in hospital a quick recovery," said Kelvin Kiprono, a volunteer at the Red Cross' Emergency Operations Center. Photos from the scene showed the wreckage of the bus standing in a field with its roof sheared off.

Road accidents in Kenya are common due to reckless driving and the poor conditions of roads and vehicles, but Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta promised action Thursday to reduce the number of accidents. "My deepest condolences to the family and friends of those who died in the grisly road accident on Ntulele Road early this morning," he said.

Kenyatta added: "We are losing too many Kenyans through road accidents and the onus is us as car owners, as commuters, as traffic police and as leaders. We are going to take action now, not just against the drivers but even the car owners themselves. Car owners must now bear the burden of ensuring that their cars are roadworthy and are driven in accordance with the traffic laws."

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